Improvement in trucks for transporting railroad-rails, car-axles



c. A. BALL.-

Trucks for Transporting Railroad Bails, Gar-Axles, 8w.

N0. 142,759. PatentedSeptemberl6,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

CHARLES A. BALL, OF RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH HISRIGHT TO EDWARD WHRITNOEUR, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUCKS FOR TRANSPORTING RAILROAD-RAILS, CAR-AXLES, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,759, datedSeptember 16, 1873; application filed May 28, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. BALL, of Itidgewood, in the county ofBergen and State of New Jersey, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Trucks for the Transportation of Railroad-Bails,Oar-Axles, 850.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledinthe art to to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the handling of railroadrails, oar-axles, and large pieces of bar, rolled, and wrought iron,850.; and it consists in applying to the extended tongue of a truck anelliptical-shaped cam, which,by pressing against the limbs of a pair ofsuspended tongs, causes the points of said limbs to approach or recedeby the rotation of said extended tongue, and, being closed around themateriahallows of its being transported.

Figure l is a plan view of my improved truck, and Fig. 2 is a rear viewelevation of Fig. 1, showing the tongs open and shut.

,Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

B represents the bed, body, or platform of the truck sustained upon theaxle A by the supports S S. Upon the axle are the two Wheels W W. On theupper surface of the platform are the two boxes G G containing therotating tongue H, which has at one end the handle it, by which thetongue is rotated. At the other end of the tongue is the elliptical camG, which is secured thereto, so that its plane surfaces and greaterdiameter are parallel to the handle. This cam presses against the limbsT T of a pair of tongs, said limbs being pivoted to the back plate D bythe pivots t t, and all suspended so that their points are below theaxle A. The back plate is suspended 'at right angles to the body, andstrongly fastened thereto. The slight pressclosed around the material,which is done by the turning of the handle so that it is parallel to thefloor then, by depressing the handle until the material is clear of thefloor and suspended, it can be moved to any convenient'point.

Care should be taken to suspend the material so that one end restsagainst the axle,

which can be done by suspending it so that the greater bulk is beyondthe tongs and not under the truck. The advantage derived from thussuspending the material is that it enables it to be moved steadily andwithout swingmg.

In case the material is of great length one end may rest against asupport in front of the axle. The cam may be provided with two parallelfaces at the extremities of the longer diameter to prevent any possibleslipping when' material is suspended.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentv l. The limbs T T of a pair of tongs, at tached to thebody of a truck, and having the points thereof below the level of theaxle A A of saidtruck.

2. The limbs T T of a pair of tongs, operated by the elliptical cam 0attached to the rotating tongue H of said truck. 4

CHARLES A. BALL.

Witnesses THEODORE V. TERHUNE, WHEELER W. PrnLLIPs.

